momagri, movement for a world agricultural organization, is a think tank chaired by Pierre Pagesse.It brings together, managers from the agricultural world and important people from external perspectives, such as health, development, strategy and defense. Its objective is to promote regulationof agricultural markets by creating new evaluation tools, such as economic models and indicators,and by drawing up proposals for an agricultural and international food policy.

Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama make progress on regulation

24 January 2011

After outlining the three key issues on the up-coming G20 agenda1, Nicolas Sarkozy shared his views on global economic reform with Barack Obama during the French President’s working visit to Washington on January 10, 2011. The meeting was the occasion for the two leaders to progress on the G20 issues.

“Our teams are going to work hard together to make proposals on currency, commodity prices and all issues on the G20 agenda in order to bring down global imbalances,” stated the French leader at the close of his meeting with his American counterpart. Items on the agenda of this French/American gathering included fighting c0mmodity price volatility, improving global governance and reforming the international monetary system.

Following the meeting, the two countries agreed to plan hand in hand for concrete proposals regarding these three key issues. For Nicolas Sarkozy, Barack Obama’s support to the G20 Summit to be held next November 3 would thus bring about “structural answers to major global imbalances.”

The two leaders’ willingness to provide joint proposals is an encouraging sign for the next G20 Summit. Indeed, the United States is a major agricultural powerhouse that has already tackled head on the regulation of financial markets during the summer of 2010. It is therefore crucial that Europe, which is currently adjusting its Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFID), progresses with the U.S. so that the next G20 can be the opportunity to implement a coherent and pertinent system to regulate agricultural financial markets.